Louis of Nutwood

Hey, that’s great! Considering it’s your first MOC in this theme, congrats! I like the water. Awesome addition of the wargs. Your trees look well done. And the rockwork can be tricky, but you managed to achieve a good looking fantasy style to it. I’d love to see more pictures, though. Something broader, that captures the whole construction. Cheers!

Very nice! Winterfell is well depicted, here. Very accurate. I like how everything is covered in snow and the weirwood tree is cleverly made. Well done, mate!

Thank you for your warm comments, fellow Builder! I really like this color palette, but eventually I should try to adventure in some different patterns for my next builds. Rethinking the path to something more subtle would be the first thing. For the snow, I totally understand how slopes would bring a better definition rather than the studded Lego texture, but in such small spaces (and with so few slopes), it surely was a challenge. I'm happy you liked the 'vibe' of my village, though. I'm planning to expand it, of course. Let's see how it goes. Thanks again! Thanks, Duke de Gothia! Certainly fitting an interior was one of the major tricks in this model. But I'm very pleased with the solution of having a number of interconnected floors in it. And I surely plan to keep adding interiors to my MOCs, as they are one important part of the folks life. Cheers!

Oooooh. Makes so much sense! I never thought of that. Incredible! Thank you so much, Kai! Your shared knowledge will save me uncountable hours. Possibly days! That's awesome! Really a great idea. It gets pretty close to what a professional studio would have, I guess. And really not that difficult to implement at home. Oh, IKEA. If only they were in Brazil. But, sure, I can find it somewhere else. Yeah, these are golden tips, guys. Much appreciated. I will certainly try to implement those. Thank you! Well, a lot has been based on what you already shared, Sir Snyder. For that, I thank you. Thank you, sir De Gothia. It means a lot coming from a builder I admire for such long. I'm happy you enjoyed.

I love the colors in this build. The fence surrounding the cattle and the foliage both around the water and in its surface are spectacular. But building that goose must have been a task. Haha. It's awesome and really clever! Cheers!

This is really cool! I like how you used SNOT techniques to build the trees. I love how you added chunks of snow in both slopes and tiles to the build. The wagon is a really great construction (the seat being my favorite part). And I really like the way you built the base, being both framed and splattered - that's something I've been trying to do more often, and the result sure compensates the trouble. Great battle scene. Keep it up!

I can totally see it when the MOC is rather small (say up to 40x40 studs). But when it surpasses these limits, the background (weather a sheet or a blanket that covers both the background and the table/base of the construction) needs to grow exponentially. For instance, I take my pictures with my phone. That means I need to be close to the MOC as the zoom in every phone significantly lowers the image quality. The closer I am, larger the background needs to be. In order to have a solid background, I use EVA sheets (they are strong, the colors are nice and they are considerably large). For this last MOC, I needed to attach 4 EVA sheets together, what left this ugly line in the middle of the background, where the sheets meet. So, I'll definitely have to edit the pics. The problem grows bigger when I angle the construction, as not even the 4 EVA sheets together are able to fill the whole background. Off the limits of the EVAs, you can still see table, wall and the rest of the room. Finally, I'm starting to understand that when the MOC is too large to have a physical background, the more reasonable solution would be to have NO background at all. Hence, editing to have a blank white background. Is that it? Or am I making a huge problem where there is actually an easy solution?

With a chicken this size, there won't be any food related problem for some time. Might be this is not a magical malady, but the solution for hunger issues in Historica. Very useful when winter comes. I totally encourage the wizard to track the source of this magic in order to replicate it, of course.

Thanks again, my dear knight. I can totally agree that our day-to-day reality can be more sober - in terms of color and some other social terms, I guess. I'm happy you find a sense of reality in my MOCs, as I plan to keep using this palette (gotta make the investment worth it). But it's also something great about TLG colors: there's never a limit for the imagination. So, heck.. if you want to build a blue mountain with golden trees and pinkish water streams, go for it. I totally encourage it - it is even one of the topics on the Summer Joust, as an incentive to use different colors. Now, don't be so hard on yourself! You clearly put some effort in it, especially when writing the story. And, hey! You have an entry for both categories, which is more than I was able to pull of. It's creative and fun, and you should be proud of having a gigantic chicken on your brick selection. Yesss! Thank you! It wasn't easy to get it like that. I literally used ALL my transparent plates and bricks in this build, but I'm happy how it turned out. You mentioned the foam and the different colors for the fall and the stream, and that's precisely what I questioned myself when building. I'm happy you mentioned and liked it, Sir Grover.

Oh, my God! This looks unbelievable! So many details to like. I love those boat pieces sticking out of the deck. The lanterns, the perfectly positioned plant-bricks.. even the dog! Incredible job. If it were a set, I'd be the first one in line to get it. Amazing job, absolutely inspiring. Cheers!

Thank you, SoccerKid. I truly appreciate your thoughtful feedback and your recognition. It was certainly a challenge to finish this MOC, but it is by far the one I like the most. I'm happy you pointed a number of details, as they make all the difference in a build like this. Specially for the interiors, you are one great inspiration, fitting so much personality in such small space. And please don't mind if I steal some of you furniture designs. Also, about the ladders as a way to reach every level, I noticed you do this in your builds as well. Very clever use of space. As for the pictures, I know what you mean, and totally agree with you. The sense of depth in the angled picture is much better than the front-flat one. For this specific MOC, I tried a bunch of shots, including one that is angled. But, considering the main gate in the build was already angled (plus, I wanted the main picture to get the expression on Louis's minifig-head), I thought it came out better like that. See.. Okay, I could have put a little more effort in this one.. Thing is that editing is not my strong suit (and it takes so much time!). Another consideration is that the angled picture takes more table/display/background space, and leads to a more technical (read crappy - is this language allowed?) picture if you don't own the necessary equipment. More so if the MOCs gets larger. Isaac, do you have any tips in this case? Your backgrounds (that grey one, mainly) are amazing! How big really is your studio? I downloaded the GIMP, but always find myself using Paint, instead. Hahah.. the nostalgia, I guess. Well, I'm thrilled you liked it to a point of having it on Brickbuilt. Cheers, sir. And thank you for the tips!

Thanks, Sir Navarre. I'm glad you liked the manor, as I tried making some different design to it. Adding the watchtowers to a common cottage seemed fitting for the challenge and I'm quite happy with the way it turned out. You've mentioned about the cobblestone path before, and I can see how it might draw too much attention in this scale. I kind of like it though. But I think I'll try to mix them with more subtle colors and some plates. Might work out for the best. Thanks a lot for your feedback, man. Though, I bought a crate of those studs, now it's just a matter of finding a new use for them. Thanks, fellow Eoin! Now that the village has a watchtower, I can see you wandering in our wastelands. Watch out. Thank you, sir! You feedback is most welcomed. I've been working on my trees, and I feel this one really stood out. I'm happy you liked it, as I am very pleased with the result as well. I can totally see how the studs can draw too much attention, and it's fun that you mentioned the pixel effect. Nice way to put it, as now i can really see what you mean. Next time, I'll try to add more sober colored plates and maybe use less colors in the path. I agree it might be a better decision. Now I'm wondering what to do with my crate of studs. Aah, fellow knight Grover! Your detailed feedback is always a delight. It makes me happy you liked it and took time to comment, as your evaluations are always careful and constructive. I had a lot of fun building this one. At first, I wasn't going to include any snow. But then again, it gives a whole different feel to the MOC. About the color palette, I don't really see it as very dark, but I think it functions. Any suggestion to make it lighter? And the studded cobblestone, yeah, I see how it might be too much. Adding 1x1 and 1x2 plates between the studs is a great idea I will definitely implement in my next builds. I only need to figure out what to do with my bunch of studs, now. Thank you again, Sir Grover. One day, I might even have a fence ans 'fancy' (huh? huh?) as yours. Cheers!

Great build and nice quality pictures. I love the colors, here. The trans-blue is great with prominent white and gold. It's awesome to see the Chima flag every now and then. The story is also very interesting. I can really see how Mitgardia can be affected by these mercenaries and really dig the influence of unexplored shrines. Keep it up!

That’s awesome! I like how you built a number of little vignettes to tell bits of the story. Great work. The second one is one of my favorites. The background and the angle makes it look like a painting. The bloody pool picturing the Hand of Corruption is also great! The story is very well done, much interesting.

This is heinous and so well thought through. The fact that each chamber tells a part of the story is impressive. Even more considering that each chamber is packed with amazing details. Really, an outstanding job with bits of unique and interesting techniques. The bird cage, the observatory in the roof and the kitchen are my favorite parts. Amazing MOC. Cheers!

Nice one, Grover. Though it is a small MOC, it is packed with neat details. I love how strategic a temporary palisade can be. And I appreciate how detailed your approach is to each aspect of the palisade. The dry moat is clever, and I can’t wait to see the final stoned walls. I like how there’s a girl serving tea (or tonic?) to the workers, and how you positioned the blackbird/crow (something I’ve done a couple of times). Keep it up!

You are very welcome, lady Aurore! It is great to have you. Your skills as a herbalist will be much needed in such cold lands of Mitgardia. Harvesting is an ancient art that will come in handy when winter comes. Great Sigfig, by the way. Hopefully our paths will cross. For the glory of the north!

Now, there’s a castle! That’s big! I like how you built the vegetation and how little there is. The use of tan and sand-colors is great. Makes me think there’s not much ‘life’ around. These walls are thick! Trespassers would think twice before entering, I’m sure. I also don’t know if that was the intention, but the lightning in the pictures gives a whole mystical mood, a dark tone to the story. Great build!

Woow. What a twist! As W Navarre said, I specially like the fact that the puppeteer is hidden in the main picture. The floor mosaic is stunning. The plant vases are great. But that chandelier hanging from the wiling is awesome! Finally, the story is greatly written and well though of. Congrats! Beautiful work.

Terrific build! The lightning is impressive and the story is truly compelling. The angles tiles on top of the walls are great. The use of LED is perfect. But the cracked tombs/sarcofagi are outstanding! Superb job, as always.

Entry to Cat. B: Fortifications - Mitgardia

Hey, that looks very good! I really like the design of the tavern. The red roof fits well, and the stone representation of the "tipsy-owl" is so cool! It made me laugh. Nice addition. The rockwork is solid, the vegetation is well positioned, the stone path is nicely made. I like how you added bits of wood in the whole structure as well. The story is very interesting and compelling. It has a touch of comedy and still, remains the feeling of suspense. I sure wouldn't want any of my folks to be captured (and substituted?) by those lizard-people. Nice touch. Great MOC.

Fellow builder, what a nice creation! I like how the scene is full of movement, and yet, not overly packed. The palisade looks strong and your mill is huge! I don't know if that was the intention, but it looks like the roof of your mill is made of metal plates of some sort. If they are, they are very fitting to the story. I'm leaning to understand that the roof was a recent addition as a fortification to you village, as well. Great work!

Hey, this is a great build! The mill’s design is very unique. I love its round shape and the use of the white slopes. The plantation is also a nice addition. It must have been a challenge to get all those sand green pieces. At first sight it kind of seemed like Gerald of Rivia (the Witcher). Any reference? Keep it up. Looking forward to see it in a larger layout. Cheers!

Hey, thanks, mate! Working on the grounds is certainly a lot of fun. But you can sure run out of plates and tiles amazingly fast. I’m glad you liked it. Cheers!